In the past two contests we’ve given away more than $15,000 worth in prizes and helped find the rising superstars in search and social media marketing. We’re hoping this year’s contest will be even bigger, with all-star judges, and awesome prizes.

The contest will start early May and we’ll announce full details as we get closer to the start date. In the meantime, there are two reasons why we’re given you some advance notice.

Get your best search engine marketing or social media marketing article ready. We know in the past, the biggest challenge has been not having enough time to draft your entry. We’ve listened and so now you’ll have a few weeks to get your very best post ready.

We’re looking for prize sponsors. We’re looking for five premium sponsors ($500 each gets you links, logos, etc), so we can give away a cash prize–yes all money will go towards the prize list. In addition, if you have a prize you’d like to donate, drop me a line. All sponsors and prize donators will get recognition on the SEM Scholarship page and a link to their site.

It’s good to see the generosity and giving back into the community. The overwhelming amount of tuition is definitely a deterrent for families that don’t understand the importance of continuing education.